Page 3 in motion

Page 3 people have become an undeniable fact of life on the social and media landscape. The "success" of the original page 3 concept made coverage of party people mandatory in mainline dailies.

Then, the idea crossed over to television- NDTV's 'Night Out' being the idiot box equivalent of Bombay/ Delhi Times.

Page 3 became a 'dirty word' in intellectual circles - young and old. Page 3, the movie, made it clear that not all people featured on page 3 deserved to be there for being rich, thin, beautiful - or a combination thereof. Many had bought their way into the limelight.

But like it or not, "page 3" is here to stay. Marketing has decreed that P3 sells, Editorial will comply and we - even the "I hate it" types - will at least skim through.

On the positive side, Page 3 coverage is evolving from gush-gush aap-kitne-great-hain journalism to something with more style and flair.

People do want to read about other people - but not in the BT's Doordarshan documentary style.

"When X celebrated her xxx birthday, the music flowed like wine. Blah blah blah came and the party rocked. Blah made an appearance, also seen were blah and blah."

This is the kind of reporting that does not even need a reporter. Send someone to click photos and insert selected names from guest list in the standard copy.

Celebs are happy - and turn out in full force for the annual BT party. But what about readers? It makes for a bloody dull read!

Let's Bitch
That's why I was pleasantly surprised - and happy - to see an article in one of the old editions of  Indian Express (Mumbai Newsline) by Namrata Sharma Zakaria. The Diary of a Socialite is a peep into the convoluted world the la-di-dah types live in.

And the writer has, for a change, dug in her claws instead of being all politically correct.

Apparently there's a letter floating around which accuses a well known 'creme puff couple' of not paying wages due to workers of a mill owned by them.

‘‘If he’s a textile tycoon and she wears the best Italian threads, how can they be broke?’’ I asked Gal Pal over post-lunch coffee. ‘‘Don’t know, but people say it’s her sister,’’ said Gal Pal... She’s also infamous for buying trousers from a European label, and then getting her Mumbai tailor to remake three more in different colours. It could definitely be her.
Quite interesting no? Especially if you've figured out who is being referred to - which is not that difficult.

The report may have appeared on page 8 but it's the best piece of page 3 reporting I've seen in a while. Might that it may inspire Madhur Bhandarkar to make a sequel?

Summer Bummer

It was really really hot and humid in Pondy this time and the summer had just begun.

Summer - in times gone by - meant a month in Simla or Ooty, if you happened to be from a genteel family. Or a month eating mangoes and playing with cousins, if you were the middle class type.

Now, 6 nights and 7 day trips are about the max the genteel types can afford at a hillstation. Not just in terms of money but the fact that dad/ mom may not be able to get away from the job/ business for any longer.

And, even while on vacation there are many who continue to check email or receive work related calls. Instead of concentrating on having fun and de-stressing!

Of course, if you are a student - that's not quite your problem yet...

Kya karen
I know, you are already half bored to death. A two month vacation is a rare and precious luxury. But one that even the modern young person is not quite sure how to enjoy.

Many of you will take up summer jobs, rather than 'sit at home'. Summer jobs used to be market research, fast food counters or salesgirl gigs. Now, the first choice is usually a BPO.

Of course, many who join just for summer, have to swear in the interview that they're serious about pursuing BPO as a 'career'. And HR managers who should know better, choose to believe them.

While BPO is a great place to earn some serious pocket money, there's also a small segment which has to do a summer job as part of course work. These are students of BMM (Bachelor of Mass Media) and BMS (Bachelor of Management Studies).

The most preferred place to work for this lot is an ad agency. And here the case is reverse - there is far more demand for 'jobs' than supply. So contacts have to be used - and usually the student ends up working for a pittance, or even free.

So, there are both sides of the working spectrum!

But seriously, don't discount the 'sitting at home' option.
Not doing anything is hard work.
An ancient art we just might need a refresher course in.